Orbiting Endor
by Qelah Sebatyne
Summary: For Lahira, war is life... until she meets the man of her dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Star Wars and I don't want to. I have not and will not make any money off this story. Lahira Samarkiri and Thrackan Inkeebo are mine.

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Lieutenant Lahira Samarkiri pitched and rolled in the Rebel Alliance battle simulator, dodging computer-generated Imperial fire. Her wing mate, Sergeant Thrackan Inkeebo, also known as Blue Two, stayed at her wingtip, spinning on his own axis. Lahira spun like a top, fired on the virtual Death Star glowing ominously on her screen, and kept track of all the members of her squadron zinging around in the vicinity.

"I'm getting in position for an attack run," Thackan's voice came over the speaker.

"All right, I'll cover you," Lahira called back. Thrackan and Lahira spun around each other, hopefully confusing the Imperial TIE fighters facing them. The Imperials fired crazily, but the Rebel X-wings evaded them.

Thrackan's intention was to come out of a wild swing and head into the sensor arrays on the side of the monster battle station, hoping for a chance to fire his proton torpedoes into the reactor core.

"Imperial deflector shields have been reactivated," the computer standing in for General Calrissian intoned. "Abort attack. Abort attack!"

"Zork!" Thrackan slammed his fighter into an evasive maneuver, nearly crashing into Lahira in the process. They streaked away from the Death Star, clearing the intensifying deflector shield at the last moment, the canopies of their X-wings nearly touching.

The simulated battle continued, the fighters of Blue Squadron looping over and around each other in an effort to confuse the enemy as much as possible. Such instinctive teamwork was a distinct challenge for nonForce-sensitive individuals, which was why Lahira made her squadron practice so much. They were preparing for the battle of the century, and defeat could mean the end of the Rebel Alliance.

Eventually, the computer announced, "Death Star destroyed by Red Squadron." Lahira hit the button to power down the simulator and said, "Okay, let's call it a night."

A chorus of exhausted "yea's" issued from the members of Blue Squadron.

The fighter pilots of Blue Squadron emerged from their simulator booths. "Awesome flying, guys," Lahira said. "You're going to be great." She brushed strands of sweat-soaked black hair out of her eyes as Thrackan stepped up beside her.

"You better not get yourself killed out there," Thrackan said. "We're all going to die if I have to take over."

"We're all going to die anyway," Lahira replied. "This mission is suicide. I just hope we manage to take out Palpatine and Vader in the process. Otherwise it won't be worth it."

"You're awfully young to be so fatalistic, Lieutenant."

"Thrackan, I was ten years old when I saw my cousins, who were only a couple years older than I was, get gunned down by stormtroopers. That's more than enough to make anyone fatalistic." Lahira shook her head. "I honestly have no idea how we can win this war and stay alive at the same time."

Thrackan looked at her in surprise. "Surely you're not doubting General Calrissian's ability?"

"Not at all. I've never fought with him before, so I have no idea what kind of leader he is."

"I was at Taanab with him," Thrackan said. "Trust me. If he can't do it, no one can."

"I'm sure all the good things I've heard about him are true," Lahira acknowledged. "But he's not the one I'm worried about. It's that crazy pack of mynocks that's going to the surface of Endor to turn off the shield generator. They're going to face one zark of a fight before they even get near that generator."

"'Crazy pack of mynocks?'" Thrackan repeated. "Princess Leia's on that team."

Lahira rolled her eyes. "She's just going because she's in love with Han Solo."

Thrackan stared. "_What_?"

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"No! Well… maybe it's a guy thing. We don't notice that stuff. But now that you mention it, I can see why you said that."

"I'm sure it's a guy thing," Lahira said. "You're twice my age and you didn't notice. Of course, maybe you didn't _want _to notice. Maybe _you're_ secretly in love with Princess Leia."

Thrackan threw his hands up. "Oh, come on! Leia's just a kid – like you. How you ended up being my wing commander, I can only guess. Oops, you could courtmartial me for that. Well, whatever. I'm going for a shower."

"Okay, have a good night," Lahira replied. "Get a good night's sleep. We're attacking in a few days, so enjoy the last days of your life."

"Harrumph. I don't know about you, but I'm _not_ intending to die in this."

"I'm not either, but I have no illusions about getting out of this alive. Zorf, my purpose in life is fighting the Empire. If I survive the end of this war, I'll have to find something to do with my life."

Thrackan shook his head sadly. "There _is_ more to life than warfare, you know."

Lahira sighed. "I know. I'd like to live long enough to experience it. Good night, Thrackan."

"Good night, my fatalistic friend." Thrackan headed toward the cabins, and Lahira made her way to the galley.

Seated at a table before a big plate of food a few minutes later, Lahira forced her mind and body to relax. During the long hyperspace journey to the Endor system, Lahira had spent her mornings working out in the exercise room and her afternoons fighting practice battles with her squadron in the simulator. It was only in the evening, after supper, that she had a little time to herself, and she could think of her home and family on Naboo and the cousins whose lives she had joined the Alliance to avenge.

"Hello there, do you mind if I sit here?"

Lahira spun around, and felt her eyes widen in surprise. "Good evening, General Calrissian." Lahira gestured vaguely toward the table as if to say, _Sure, you can sit here, but why are you choosing to dine with a mere lieutenant?_

"Please," the commander said, laughing, "call me Lando. 'General Calrissian' is an awfully big name for a scoundrel like me."

"You don't look like a scoundrel to me, sir."

"I was, for quite a few years," he said as he sat down across from Lahira. "But I've grown up a lot recently." He turned and looked out the huge viewport across the room. "Seeing that, it's kind of hard to believe there's a war going on, isn't it?" he said, gesturing toward the immense field of stars outside.

"I've never known a time when there _wasn't_ a war going on," Lahira said. "Peace must be nice."

"So…" Lando said, stirring the food on his plate. "I know you as 'Blue Leader,' but what's your real name?"

"Lahira Samarkiri," the X-wing pilot replied.

"A lovely name to go with a lovely face," Lando smiled, a twinkle in his eye.

Lahira gave him a questioning look.

Lando swallowed, then asked, "How long have you been in the Rebel Alliance?"

"A long time," Lahira said. "I joined up as soon as I was old enough – at seventeen."

"Wow. Why so early?"

"When I was ten years old," Lahira explained, "there was an uprising on Naboo, my homeworld. They didn't care who was a Rebel sympathizer and who wasn't. The stormtroopers just killed everyone in the village. I saw my cousins, who were children like me, get gunned down in the street. I tried to run home to tell my mother, but ran around a corner and almost crashed into Darth Vader himself."

Lando grimaced, remembering his own unpleasant encounter with the Dark Lord.

Lahira continued, "I looked right up at him and said, 'You're mean! You told your men to kill my cousins.'"

Lando's eyebrows shot toward the ceiling. "Wow, you were amazingly brave for a ten-year-old."

"More like amazingly stupid," Lahira said. "Anyway, that stopped Vader. He said, 'So, you know what it's like to lose a family member,' and I said, 'Yes.' Then Vader sat down on a rock and motioned for me to sit down, too. I did, about two meters away from him. Then he told me, 'When I was a young man, on the cusp of adulthood, Tusken Raiders on my homeworld of Tatooine killed my mother.' I said, 'You miss your mother every day, don't you?' And he said, 'Yes, I do.' We just sat there for a few minutes, and then Vader said, 'Go home and look after your mother. You never know when she's going to be gone.' With that he stood and walked away. And I ran like a blaster bolt."

"I bet you did," Lando said. "I wonder what made him just want to talk to you? Being a cute little kid must pay off."

"I'm sure it did," Lahira agreed. "And, just what he said – I knew what it was like to lose a loved one. I was someone he could identify with. Anyway, that's why I joined the Alliance. Ever since I saw my cousins fall, I knew I wanted to fight the Empire. However, whenever I think of Vader as I saw him at that moment, I have a hard time wanting him dead, even though he's second-in-command of the Empire I hate."

"I have no trouble wanting Vader dead," Lando said. "My first encounter with him was not nearly so positive. He forced me to betray my friends in order to save the lives of everyone in my city. He tortured them and then froze my friend Han in carbonite and gave him to the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The rest of us barely escaped with our lives and then had to infiltrate the lair of that slimy slug Jabba the Hutt to get Han back."

"Eeeew," Lahira shuddered. "I hate Hutts. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, since I've never met one. They're just so ugly."

"Yeah, they're ugly, all right. Ugly personalities, too. They're mostly crime lords. I'm afraid I have more experience with them than I care to admit."

When they finished eating, Lando said, "May I ask you for a game of magnetic-repulsor ball?"

"A game of what?" Lahira replied.

"Oh, okay, I'll teach you," Lando said. "It's a lot of fun."

"Sure," Lahira agreed. "I don't get much chance to have fun around here, and I'm free in the evenings." She pushed back from the table and followed Lando to the game room.

Magnetic-repulsor ball turned out to be a game played with balls about eight centimeters in diameter that were powered by mini-repulsors. The magnetic field in the table prevented the balls from taking off into the room. The players batted the balls back and forth with soft paddles, and the object of the game was to get the balls caught by a moving tractor beam on the opponent's side of the table which would result in a score and in one ball being removed from play. This was a distinct challenge because each player had a foot pedal that would cause the tractor beam to move away from the ball's trajectory. The tractor beam was also a challenge for defense because the foot pedal caused random movement, so the tractor beam might catch another ball and allow the opponent to score.

When Lando finished explaining the rules, Lahira said, "Ooh, boy. You'll cream me."

"We'll see," Lando laughed. "You're handy with a turbolaser. You might be pretty good at this, too."

As it turned out, they were evenly matched. The game started with seven balls in play, and after two hours they were still at it with three balls in play, laughing like children. In fact, their game was so exciting that a group of onlookers had gathered, cheering them on. The game eventually ended with Lando scoring with the last ball, and the game powered down. The audience finished cheering and then dispersed.

"Thanks for the game," Lando said as they left the game room. "That was more fun than I've had in a long time."

"Thank _you_," Lahira replied. "That's the closest thing I've had to going back to a time when my cousins were alive."

"You were really close to your cousins, weren't you?"

"Yeah, extremely. They lived next door to us, and my brother and I played with them every day. After they died, we eventually found some other kids to play with, but it was never the same."

"May I walk you to your room?" Lando asked suddenly.

"Sure."

They headed toward the cabins, and at one point, when there was no one else in the corridor, Lando briefly allowed his arm to rest across her shoulders. Lahira gave no outward response, but he noticed that she didn't pull away, either.

Moments later, they reached Lahira's door. "Well, have a good night," Lando said awkwardly. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

"Good night," Lahira replied. "May the Force be with you."

"Thank you," Lando smiled. "And with you." He watched as Lahira disappeared into her room, and then returned to his own quarters.

When Lahira finished her workout the next morning, her exercise clothes were soaked through with sweat. In the women's locker room, she retired gratefully into a shower stall and washed up before heading to the fourth official practice assault that would include all the fighter squadrons and the real commanders responding to the scenarios algorithmically determined by the simulator's computer.

As Lahira headed down the hall, she felt someone watching her, and turned to see Lando poking his head out of the simulator's command pod. Lahira waved and smiled, then disappeared into her pod.

After the practice session, Thrackan and Lahira headed to the galley, talking kilometers per second about how they could have improved their response to the conundrums thrown at them by the simulator computer. When their meals were about half finished, Lando joined them at the table.

Thrackan jumped in surprise. "Good afternoon, General Calrissian."

Lahira smiled across the table. "Hi."

Thrackan stared, half expecting the Force to vaporize her for disrespect.

The general noticed the look on Thrackan's face and started laughing. "Hey, don't look so surprised! I'm friends with your wing commander, okay?"

Thrackan turned to Lahira, baffled. "Whaaat? When…?"

"I'll explain later," Lahira replied.

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Thrackan resisted a temptation to roll his eyes.

"Anybody up for a game of magnetic-repulsor ball tonight?" Lando asked.

"Me!" Lahira blurted.

"Great! Actually, I've got a better idea. How about if we play doubles? You and Thrackan on one side, me and my friend Han on the other."

"Han Solo?" asked Lahira.

"Yeah."

"Isn't he planetside… I mean, moonside?"

"The surface strike team isn't leaving until tomorrow, when we get close enough to the Endor system," Lando said.

"Okay," Lahira replied. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

Meanwhile, Thrackan was staring openmouthed, looking from Lahira to Calrissian and back, trying to figure out what in the frozen lands of Hoth was going on. He didn't see how such a game was possible. Calrissian and Solo were generals, Lahira was a lieutenant, and he, Thrackan, was a lowly sergeant!

Lahira poked him in the arm. "Say yes!" she hissed.

"Oh! Yeah." Thrackan straightened up and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Calrissian laughed. "Oh, will you drop the military discipline for five seconds and learn how to have fun?"

Thrackan shook himself. "Uh, yeah, okay, sure, General."

"You can call me Lando under informal circumstances. You call Lahira by her first name, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. But she's not a general."

"I am an officer," Lahira reminded him, "even if I'm half your age _and_ twenty centimeters shorter than you."

"Your squadron is practicing again this afternoon, right?" Lando asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, have fun. Yeah, right, what am I saying? Anyway, I have a loaded schedule this afternoon too. I'll see you after supper tonight, okay? I'll introduce you to Han."

"Sure," Lahira said. "May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. You, too." Lando pushed back from the table and left the room.

Thrackan turned to Lahira. "Okay, you little mynock. What in the Force's name is going on?"

Lahira shrugged. "He's a nice guy. And he likes to play repulsor ball. What can I say? We live in a durasteel bubble! We were bound to run into each other at some point."

Thrackan threw his hands in the air. "But – but – you're _socializing_ with him!"

"Yeah. So? You socialize with me, don't you?"

"Of course. But that's different," Thrackan insisted. "You're only a lieutenant. He's a general! Well, whatever. You're a good kid. I hope you survive this war. You remind me of my daughter. She's almost your age."

"You're giving away your age, Uncle Thrackan," Lahira teased. "I bet your daughter doesn't look like me, though."

"No, she doesn't. She's blonde and blue-eyed like her mother and me. She's helping her mother with her younger siblings while I'm away."

"What does your wife think about you being out here?" Lahira asked.

"She hates it! She's painfully aware that I could get myself killed out here and leave her to raise four kids on her own."

"My parents aren't happy about me being out here, either," Lahira said. "But they understand why I have to do it. I think my dad would be out here too, if my mom would let him. Come on, let's go get that practice session going."

"Yes, Lieutenant. You're a little task master, you know that?" Thrackan pushed back from the table and followed Lahira back to the simulator.

"Yes, I am," Lahira replied. "And if you don't stop calling me a kid, I'll make you practice taking over."

Thrackan shook his head. "You little…"

That evening, after a grueling practice session in which Lahira backed out and forced Thrackan to take her place three times, the two of them headed to the galley for dinner.

"You mynock!" Thrackan exclaimed as they sat down. "I'm going to cream you at repulsor ball tonight."

Lahira grinned. "You're playing on my side, remember?"

"Oh, zark. I forgot."

"Well," Lahira said, "at least I know that if I die, you can win the battle in my stead."

"You better hadn't get killed out there. I don't think your mother would be happy."

"My parents are expecting it," Lahira said. "I told my family long ago not to plan for my return."

Thrackan grabbed Lahira and hugged her. "Boy, are you a pessimistic little girl."

"Yeah," she said as she wriggled out of his grasp, "I am. Come on, let's go have some fun."

Thrackan rolled his eyes. "This game is going to be weird."

"No weirder than you," Lahira shot back. She took off down the hall, forcing Thrackan to jog to keep up.

Moments later they reached the game room. Lando was already there with a brown-haired man that Lahira recognized as Han Solo, who was accompanied by Princess Leia and a huge Wookiee.

"Oh, great! There's the other team," Lando exclaimed. He pushed Han forward. "This is my friend Han Solo, and his friends Princess Leia and Chewbacca."

"Pleased to meet you," Lahira and Thrackan said, shaking hands with each in turn. Lahira had never met a Wookiee before, and she felt like a small child when Chewbacca took her comparatively tiny hand between his thumb and forefinger.

The two teams took their places at the repulsor table, Thrackan and Lahira on one side and Han and Lando on the other. Leia and Chewbacca sat down on ergonomic chairs to watch.

The game was a bit confusing with four players instead of two, because the seven balls moved much faster and in much more varied patterns. Thrackan manned the foot pedal for his team and Lando manned the pedal for himself and Han. Leia and Chewbacca cheered them on, with Chewbacca squawking comments that Lahira suspected only Han could understand.

As the players warmed up, this game became as spirited as the one the previous night, with twice the people leading to twice the action. At one point, in an uncharacteristic moment of clumsiness, Lahira tripped over her own feet and stumbled, shocked, into the arms of an equally stunned Lando. He caught his breath as she thunked against his chest. Knowing that this might well be his only chance, he took his time lifting her to a standing position. He felt her trembling slightly against him, and realized that she was having the same response that he was. She inhaled sharply as he allowed his cheek to "accidentally" brush her hair. His muscles protested vehemently, but he forced himself to set her on her feet and backed away. It took both of them a few moments to compose themselves.

"Oh, for Sith's sake!" Han exclaimed.

Thrackan, meanwhile, was staring out the window, studiously ignoring the whole situation. Lahira noted with relief that Leia and Chewbacca had wandered off, probably to the galley.

Lando and Lahira each took a few deep breaths, and then the game continued with Han and Thrackan politely pretending that nothing had happened. When the game ended, with Han and Lando winning 4-3, the group said good night and dispersed rather quickly.

Lahira and Thrackan left first, heading for their dormitories. "Just so you know," Thrackan said as they disappeared down the hall, "I didn't see anything tonight."

"Good," Lahira said. "Thanks."

Thrackan rolled his eyes. "This is _not_ the time to do this."

"Yeah. I know. But the Force works in mysterious ways. You were right about one thing, though. That game sure was weird."

Meanwhile, Han and Lando left the game room, heading in the other direction. Han clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Man, you better watch yourself."

"Yeah, I know." Lando shook his head. "Wow, that was a problem I never thought I'd have. I guess it means I'm getting old."

"You are _not_ getting old," Han replied. "It just means you're not as _gleeping_ self-centered as you used to be."

"Hey!" Lando protested.

"I'm not saying I wasn't!" Han shot back. "We both had our share of growing up to do. You just happened to do it in a way that can get you into trouble."

Lando rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. "Yeah, I know."

"I won't breathe a word," Han said. "You know that. But what about that Thrackan character?"

"Don't worry. Lahira's his immediate supervisor. She has him under tight control, I'm sure. He wouldn't dare. And he's Correllian like you, you know."

"I gathered," Han replied. "My cousin's name is Thrackan, too. I hate that little Sith spawn. He tried to kill me a few times when we were kids."

"Oh, so that explains your reaction when I told you his name." By this time, they had reached Lando's door. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. Good night."

"Good night. And pleasant dreams," Han teased, winking.

"Shut up, Solo." Lando disappeared into his room and closed the door.

Han shook his head, making his way to his own quarters. This war was making everyone crazy. What _was _the galaxy coming to?

The scheduled time for the assault was coming close. The strike team was leaving this morning, attempting to get clearance to land on Endor by flying in a stolen Imperial shuttle. They even had an Imperial code, but no one knew if it was current enough to work. If the code failed, the strike team would never make it near the surface of the moon, and would probably be destroyed while attempting to retreat. If that happened, the fighter squadrons would never have a chance to attack the Death Star, which was still supposedly not operational.

If that happened, Lando would lose four good friends: Han, Leia, Chewie, and Luke.

Lando awoke early that morning and accompanied Han to the flight deck to see the strike team off. "I just want to say good-bye and good luck," Lando said. "I hope to see you again, friend."

"Aww, don't worry," Han protested, cocksure as ever. "We'll be fine. We'll just shoot a few stormtroopers, walk in, and deactivate the generator. It'll be easy – compared to coordinating who-knows-how-many squadrons of fighters, anyway."

Lando rolled his eyes. "I thought you said you weren't crazy. I'm afraid I have to revise my opinion. You're crazier than a drunken tauntaun. You're going to face all kinds of resistance down there."

Han shrugged. "Maybe so. But I've always gotten out of stuff before, haven't I?"

"You only got out of the carbonite because we came and rescued you. You may not be dead yet, but there's a first time for everything, braggart." On an impulse, Lando reached out and embraced his friend.

As they continued walking, Han reminded him, "You've got more to worry about than losing me."

"Yeah," Lando agreed, shaking his head. "Don't I know it. Why does this have to happen _now_, of all times?"

"I don't know, old buddy. But that's why I want you to take the _Falcon_ when you lead that attack. We can't be losing you, either."

"Oh, no, no, no," Lando protested. "I couldn't do that."

"Listen, I _want_ you to take her, okay? She's the fastest ship in the fleet! Take her."

"Okay, okay," Lando relented, "I promise she won't get a scratch."

"All right. Take it easy." Han walked away toward the shuttle's boarding platform. Then he turned around. "I got that promise – not a scratch."

"Good luck," Lando called after him.

"You too. You're going to need it." Han turned to board the shuttle, then hesitated.

"Get moving, you pirate." Lando kept his eyes on Han for one more moment before turning and walking away.

If anyone could do this, Lando reflected as he left, Han was the one. They would be fine, as long as that code worked.

It had to work, Lando told himself. It would work. The entire mission depended on that. He took a deep breath. The mission was under way.

Meanwhile, Lahira headed to the workout room before breakfast. She planned to spend her morning studying the battle plans that Admiral Ackbar had provided to everyone before heading to practice in the afternoon, so she could go over it with the members of her squadron. This was the battle of a lifetime, and they had to get it right. The very existence of the Rebel Alliance depended on it.

After her post-workout shower, Lahira headed to the galley for breakfast. She was just finishing up when Lando sat down beside her. "Well, it's started," he said. "The strike team left this morning."

"May the Force be with them," Lahira replied. "I just hope that crazy pack of mynocks know what they're doing."

"You and a whole lot of other people," Lando sighed. "Han's a good hand, but even he's not invincible – no matter what he says. I know he can do it, though. I have to believe that."

Lahira laughed. "His notorious ego proceeds him wherever he goes." She packed up the remains of her breakfast. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to prepare to go over Admiral Ackbar's battle plans with my squadron this afternoon."

"Of course," Lando replied. "I have a lot of preparations do, too, as soon as I finish my breakfast. I was just at the flight deck seeing Han and everyone else off. They're going to have their hands full down there."

"He has a reputation for getting out of tight places," Lahira said. "I'm sure he'll be fine." She didn't feel nearly as confident as she sounded. "May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. And with you," Lando replied, resisting a temptation to reach out and touch her. He sighed, watching her walk away. _If this karking war ever ends_…

_Stop it_, he told himself irritably. _You're being foolish_.

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Please read and review. Flames welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISLCAIMER: **I don't own Star Wars and I don't want to. I have not and will not make any money off this story. Lahira Samarkiri and Thrackan Inkeebo are mine.

In her room, Lahira immersed herself in piles of maps, diagrams, and written plans. The strategy for tomorrow's assault was so complicated, and this was just the super-orbital portion of it! She hoped that the members of her squadron were studying the plans also, so she would not have to explain the whole thing in practice this afternoon.

It took all morning, but by the time she went to practice, she had all the information she needed in her head. Well, that was nothing new. She was used to integrating herself and her wingmates into complex battle plans.

Warfare was her life. The death of her cousins had seen to that.

_But maybe, just maybe_, whispered a tiny voice at the back of her mind, _maybe it doesn't have to be_.

_Oh, stop being a baby_, she told herself angrily. _You can't survive this war. No one can_.

When Lahira arrived at the simulator for that afternoon's practice session, it quickly became clear that everyone _had_ read the battle plans, because it was all anyone was talking about. They talked about their portion of the tactics from every angle, trying to think of every possible contingency plan. The commanders would be there supporting them from a distance, of course, but it was better if they did not have to give specific orders to individual squadrons. That was what squadron leaders were for.

After they finished their discussion, they fought one last simulated battle, designed to specifically fit their part of the scheme in the real thing. When the diagnostic rolled across her screen at the end of the exercise, Lahira decided she was satisfied with the results.

Lahira joined her fighters in the anteroom of the simulator. "Great job, guys," she said. "I think we're as ready as we can be. Everyone make sure you have a good supper and get a good night's rest. Then we'll give those Imperials one zork of a fight tomorrow."

Thrackan and Lahira went to the galley for dinner as usual. As they ate, Thrackan asked, "Are you ready for this tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think so. You can only practice so much, you know?"

"That's true," Thrackan agreed. "But what I mean is, you keep saying you're not going to survive this war. Are you truly ready to die?"

"If my death leads to the fall of the Empire, then yes. If not, I want to stay alive so I can kill more stormtroopers. I want to be instrumental, in my own little X-wing-flying way, in the destruction of the Empire."

Thrackan shook his head. "You poor child. I really wish that you could see that there is more to life than fighting the Empire."

"If the Empire is defeated, then yes, there will be something more to live for. But as long as Palpatine is in charge, we're all zorked."

"That is true," Thrackan admitted. "This will probably be the last battle of the war. We'll either topple the Empire or be destroyed."

Lahira sighed. "I know. That's why we can't afford to lose this one. We're so weakened that this is our last chance. I'll contribute to an Alliance victory or die trying. Well, I'm probably going to die anyway, but you know what I mean."

"I think your fatalistic attitude is rubbing off on me," Thrackan said. "We could all die. But I suppose it's better to die fighting for a good cause, even a doomed one, than to give up."

"I agree," Lahira said, finishing her meal. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll need to be super-alert tomorrow."

"That makes two of us," Thrackan said. "Good night."

"Good night, and may the Force be with you." Lahira gave Thrackan a quick hug and then returned to her room.

As it turned out, the Force had a big surprise for Lahira that night. She was sitting on the floor, doing stretching and relaxation exercises, when someone knocked at the door.

_Who the zarf is that?_ she wondered, pushing herself up from the floor. She went to the door and opened it.

Lahira sucked in her breath, and a delicious thrill of excitement ran down her spine.

_Lando_.

Man, he was hotter than the twin suns of Tatooine.

"Hi," she whispered breathlessly.

Lando quickly looked both ways down the hall. No one was in sight. "May I come in?"

"Of course." Lahira stepped back from the door to make room.

Lando slipped in, quickly closing the door behind him. "Whew, that was close. I had to make sure no one saw me."

"Yeah, I know. So… to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Lando took her hands in his, his thumbs gently massaging the backs of her hands. "Listen, there's something you need to know. I know as well as anyone that we could all end up dead tomorrow. I want you to know that if this war ever ends, and we're both still alive when that happens… when we're back to civilian life and all that… I want to get to know you better. And I want you to know that there will be a place for you in my life."

Lahira didn't know what to say, so she just reached up and put her arms around his neck. He held her, and their lips met in a kiss as soft and sweet as a Naboo sunset.

A few minutes later, the uniforms that kept them apart fell to the floor, and they retired to the cozy warmth of the bed.

For the first time in her life, wrapped tightly in Lando's arms, Lahira allowed herself to hope that she might survive the coming battle.

The wakeup alarm went off far too early. "Shut up," she mumbled, irritated, at the voice-operated machine, totally unwilling to leave Lando's arms.

He pulled her closer, and once again the glow of their tender lovemaking filled the room with a delicate warmth.

Afterward, they lay close, each savoring what could very well be their last moments together. Alas, they could not stay this way forever.

"Arrghhh, I guess I better get going," Lando groaned reluctantly, pushing himself up from the bed. "One thing I can't afford to be is late."

"Yeah. We're probably late already."

They dressed quickly, and then Lando turned to her one last time, unwilling to leave her. She threw herself in his arms, and they shared one last, lingering kiss.

Lando reluctantly forced himself to let her go. "Now I just have to get out of here."

"I'll take care of that," Lahira said. She opened the door and looked both ways. "There's no one there. Go. Quick!" She backed out of the way and Lando shot out the door. He had go fast, before he lost his determination.

Lahira left a few seconds later, closing the door behind her, and headed toward the galley. There was no time for a regular workout this morning. She had to grab some breakfast and then hurry to the hangar bay.

She made it to the hangar bay just in time. Hangar workers were already fueling her X-wing. Thrackan looked up as she rushed in. "Morning."

"Morning." Lahira went through the pre-flight checklist. "We're all set. Let's go get 'em."

At that point Admiral Ackbar and Lando arrived to inspect the troops. Lahira and the rest of the fighter pilots stood in front of their fighters, hands behind their backs, as the commanders walked down the line.

As Lando made his way down the line, his dark eyes rested longer on Lahira than anyone else. Thrackan noticed this, and gave Lahira a slight smile as Lando walked away.

"Prepare for takeoff!" Admiral Ackbar boomed.

The fighters turned to climb into their vehicles. "Lahira, may the Force be with you," Thrackan said.

"Thanks, you too." Lahira began climbing the ladder into her X-wing, then stopped.

"Thrackan?"

"Yes?"

Lahira took a deep breath. "If I die today, will you pass along a message for me?"

"Of course," Thrackan replied. "You don't have to tell me who or what. I know."

Lahira smiled gratefully. "Thanks. And while you're at it, you can tell my family that I died doing my part for the Rebel Alliance. And that I'll always be with them in the Force."

"Are you Force-sensitive?"

"No. But I know it's there, just the same."

"Now that's the spirit," Thrackan said. "Remember that. Victory is at hand, even if you can't feel it."

"Thanks," Lahira grinned. She climbed into her X-wing and strapped herself in. Moments later, she was ready for takeoff.

Meanwhile, Lando and his assistants prepared the _Millennium Falcon_ for takeoff. When Admiral Ackbar gave the order, the all of the fighters of the Rebel Fleet passed into space.

They moved clear of their command ships, and then Lando passed along Ackbar's order to enter hyperspace.

At the end of the hyperspace leap, the fighters and accompanying ships spread out into attack position. Thrackan hovered at Lahira's wingtip, and the rest of Blue Squadron huddled nearby. Now all they had to do was wait for Han's group to take out the deflector shield generator down on the surface.

"All squadrons check in," Admiral Ackbar ordered.

"Gold Leader, standing by," Lando replied.

"Red Leader, standing by," Wedge Antilles said.

"Blue Leader, standing by," Lahira said.

"Commence attack," Admiral Ackbar ordered.

All of the fighters began to advance toward the new Death Star. There was some chatter on the radio as Lando and Wedge tried to figure out how it could be that the Empire seemed to be jamming Rebel signals, preventing the pilots from getting a status reading on the deflector shield.

Imperial TIE fighters gushed out of their Star Destroyers, rushing to engage the attacking Rebel forces. Pairs of Blue Squadron fighters spun around each other as symbiotic teams, having perfected Lahira's original fighting strategy. Because of Blue Squadron's predilection for showy moves involving pairs of fighters, Admiral Ackbar had chosen it to draw fire and distract the Imperials so squadrons whose fighting styles stressed operating as individuals could try to destroy the Death Star. Lando was not at all comfortable with this arrangement, but since he could not explain _why_ he didn't want Blue Squadron doing this most dangerous of tasks, he said nothing. He sighed. Well, it wasn't as if _he_ were doing anything any less dangerous.

Thrackan, Lahira, and the rest of Blue Squadron got the drop on several TIE fighters, sending them and their pilots splintering to fiery deaths. Thrackan and Lahira completed a complex battle maneuver. And then—

Lahira's deflector shields shorted out.

Before she had a chance to react, her X-wing shuddered violently under a barrage of enemy fire. Unidentified flying objects slammed into her legs, right arm, and midsection.

"Aughhhh." Dazed by the shock of being struck five times practically simultaneously, all Lahira could do was wait for her fighter to break apart and throw her to vacuum.

Miraculously, it didn't.

"_Get out of here! Get out of here!_"

Thrackan's frantic voice cut through the haze of pain and shock in Lahira's brain. She forced her left arm, the only limb she still had control over, to the controls. Her crippled X-wing limped toward the medical ship. She barely heard the hiss of gas as precious atmosphere leaked out into the void.

The medical ship's tractor beam was the only thing that kept her from crashing on the hangar floor. As the pressure suddenly equalized in the air lock, the canopy cracked, then collapsed, half-burying Lahira under a mountain of shattered transparisteel.

Medics scrambled up the side of the X-wing and lifted Lahira out, laying her on a repulsor sled. They lowered her to the floor and hurried toward the hospital entrance.

_BOOM!_

Lahira's X-wing exploded, wounding several of the medics. Everyone dove to the floor, followed by a clatter and tinkling as the last pieces of shrapnel settled to the floor.

More medics poured out of the hospital door to clean up the mess. Two of them leaned over Lahira, attempting to stabilize her.

She was out of it, but she had something to say. Forcing herself to speak clearly, she rasped, "Tell… Lando…" Only she couldn't tell them what to tell Lando, because the darkness closed over her.

Meanwhile, Thrackan was facing battle without his trusted wing commander. He took a deep breath. The first thing he had to do was inform the commanders of the change in Blue Squadron's command. He punched the frequency.

"Admiral Ackbar, this is Blue Two. I am taking over as Blue Leader."

"Copy that, Blue Two, uh, Blue Leader," Ackbar replied.

Lando dropped the _Millennium Falcon_'s controls. "Kriff." His voice sounded hollow, and too late, he realized that everyone on board had heard, not to mention everyone who was tuned to his frequency.

His Sullustan copilot poked his arm, chittering questioningly at him.

Lando swallowed hard, pushing all thoughts of personal loss from his mind. He had a battle to win. After all, he didn't want the death of his favorite fighter pilot to be for nothing!

By now, Lando was again focused on the battle in front of him, and the assault formation was approaching the Death Star. "That's odd," Wedge was saying, "I should be getting a signal on the deflector shield."

At the last second, Lando shouted, "The shield's still up! All fighters turn back! Turn back!"

The fighters peeled away from the battle station.

It wasn't long before the "not yet operational" Death Star began firing on Rebel Cruisers, and Admiral Ackbar realized that the Imperial forces had set a trap for his fleet and ordered a retreat. The way he saw it, the mission had already failed.

Lando, never one to give up, and now especially determined to make Lahira's sacrifice mean something, blurted, "No! We've got to do this now. This is our only chance! Concentrate all your fire on those Star Destroyers."

"It's over, General Calrissian," Admiral Ackbar insisted. "We won't last long against firepower of that magnitude."

"We'll last longer against those Star Destroyers than we will against that Death Star," Lando shot back.

Equally determined to topple the Empire while there was still a chance, the other fighters followed as Lando rushed to engage the Star Destroyers.

Then the shield generator exploded.

"_Yeaaaa!_" The fighters swerved and converged on the Death Star.

"I'm going in!" Wedge shouted, and plunged into the battle station.

The _Millennium Falcon_ followed on Wedge's tail.

In the end, Thrackan never really knew who blew up the Death Star. That wasn't what was important. What _was_ important was that Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were dead. The age of tyranny was over.

"All fighters return to their ships," Admiral Ackbar ordered.

Thrackan switched to a frequency that would only reach the other members of Blue Squadron. "The rest of you follow that order," he said. "I have something I need to do." He peeled out of formation and raced for the medical ship.

In his haste, Thrackan dodged the tractor beam and, as a result, nearly slammed into the rear wall of the hanger bay.

Medics rushed toward him. "Hey! What's the hurry?"

Thrackan jumped out of his X-wing without even bothering to use the ladder, and landed on the floor in a crouch, staring in horror at the scorch marks on the floor, walls and ceiling. "Sorry about the dramatic entrance," he said as he stood up. "I'm here to inquire about a patient."

"A friend of yours, I presume?" one of the medics asked, as he led Thrackan to a reception desk.

"Yeah. Somebody pretty important, actually."

"What's the patient's name?" the nurse behind the desk asked.

"Her last name is Samarkiri," Thrackan replied. "First name Lahira."

The nurse looked up the information on the computer. "She's going to be all right," she said. "She's in a bacta tank as we speak."

Thrackan sagged against the desk in relief. "When can she receive visitors?"

"Not until tomorrow morning," the nurse replied. "I presume you're carrying this information to others?"

"Yeah. She has a lot of friends back on the cruiser." Thrackan just didn't mention _who_ some of those friends were. "Thank you very much. I'll get my X-wing out of your way now."

Back on board the cruiser, Thrackan raced to Lando's quarters. Skidding to a halt outside the door, Thrackan knocked.

No answer.

Thrackan pounded on the door.

Silence.

Frustrated, Thrackan tried the door, and found it unlocked. He slipped inside and closed the door.

The general sat at his desk, his head in his hands. He gave no sign of knowing Thrackan was there.

"Lando."

No response.

"I have good news," Thrackan said. "Lahira's going to be all right."

At that, Lando raised his head. His red eyes and wet face told Thrackan everything he needed to know.

"She's in a bacta tank right now, and she'll be able to receive visitors tomorrow morning," Thrackan said.

"Thank you," Lando whispered.

"I'm sorry for barging in on you like this," Thrackan said. "But I had to tell you that. I'll leave you alone now." Thrackan let himself out as quietly as he had come in.

Lando sobbed with relief.

Awhile later, Lando drew a deep, shuddering breath. He had to compose himself. Everyone else was heading to the surface of Endor to celebrate, and he couldn't miss that. Lahira wouldn't be there, but he couldn't see her until tomorrow morning anyway.

At least he knew she was safe.

Lando splashed some cold water on his face, straightened his uniform, and headed to the surface. He jumped with surprise as he disembarked from the shuttle and was mobbed by a group of tiny, furry creatures. They seemed friendly enough, but what _were_ they?

"They're Ewoks," someone said. "They helped us win the ground battle against the Imperial stormtroopers.

A couple of Ewoks grabbed his hands and dragged him to the center of the party. He disengaged himself and looked around.

"Hey!" Lando spun around. Han was running toward him. Lando leaped forward, and the two best friends embraced. Everyone, it turned out, wanted to hug him, even Chewbacca, which was a nice change after Chewie almost strangled him back at Cloud City.

The party continued for most of the night, with dancing, singing, and an overabundance of food, all courtesy of the Ewoks. At a quiet moment, Han pulled Lando aside and said, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but how did Lahira make out?"

"She was wounded pretty badly, but she's going to be all right," Lando said, leaning against the nearest tree. "I thought she was dead until Thrackan told me she wasn't. I think he went over to the hospital ship and asked. I guess he saw her go in. Anyway, if he hadn't told me in time, I never could have faced coming to this party."

"I'm glad to hear she's going to make it," Han said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'll stay out of your hair tomorrow, okay?"

Lando smiled. "Thanks. You can cover for me if anyone asks where I am."

Han laughed. "You bet!"

Lahira woke totally disoriented. The one thing she knew for sure was pain. _Kark, it hurt_. She had a vague memory of what had happened the day before, but she had no idea where she was now.

Then someone sat down on the edge of the bed.

She opened her eyes. "Lando," she whispered.

His face lit up upon seeing her awaken. He leaned over her, sliding his hands beneath her to pull her close, careful not to put any weight on her battle-ravaged frame. Her one good arm snaked up around his neck, pulling his face toward hers. Closing his eyes, he covered her lips with his.

"Oh, will you stop doing that? You'll get thrown out of the military."

Lando sat up so fast that he almost fell off the edge of the bed. "Zork, Thrackan, you scared the kriff out of me. And they can't throw me out of the military. I'm quitting."

Thrackan stared. "_What_?"

Lando shrugged. "War's over. They don't need me anymore."

"Thrackan saved my life," Lahira said softly, her voice stronger now. "And I'm quitting, too. We toppled the Empire, and I'm still alive. Sort of, anyway. So I'm quitting while I'm ahead."

"What?" Lando asked. "You saved her life?"

"I'm not sure that's quite accurate," Thrackan replied. "I did yell at her to 'get out of here,' but she was the one who guided her ship to the tractor beam. Oh, and Lahira, I heard your X-wing exploded in the hangar and wounded several of the medics."

"I remember a big bang," Lahira said slowly, "but I was too out of it to know what it was. Great, now I feel bad."

"It wasn't your fault," Lando said soothingly. "Anyway, the way I heard it, you nearly let the rancor out of the cage."

"Oh. Did I? I don't remember."

"Well, when I got here this morning, the staff told me you were trying to tell them to tell me something, just before you passed out. Only they couldn't figure out why you wanted them to tell me anything. They kept asking me if I was related to you."

"Oh, gleep. What did you say?"

"I told them I was your third cousin," Lando said, laughing.

"Oh, I hope that's not true," Thrackan said.

"It's not," Lando replied. "But she's almost dark enough to be related to me, and they fell for it."

Thrackan rolled his eyes. "Boy, are you a fast talker."

"Yeah," Lando grinned. "It's saved my life many times. It also got me a job at the palace of Jabba the Hutt so I could help rescue Han after he got frozen in carbonite."

"Eewww," Thrackan and Lahira said at the same time.

Thrackan stepped closer to the bed. "I'll leave you and Lando alone now," he said. "I just wanted to let you know that I hope you're feeling better soon."

"Thanks, Uncle." Lahira looked at Lando. "No, he's not really my uncle; I just call him that." She turned back to Thrackan. "Come visit me again, okay? It looks like I'm going to be stuck here for awhile."

"Of course," Thrackan smiled. "May the Force be with you."

"Thanks. You, too."

After Thrackan left, Lando lay down on the bed beside Lahira, taking care not to bump any of her wounds. "I thought you were dead, until Thrackan told me you weren't," he said.

"I thought I was dead, too," Lahira replied with perfect honesty. "But for some reason, my ship didn't explode. At least, not until I was in the hangar."

"I am soooo glad to see you," Lando whispered, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. "I thought I'd lost you. I'll take good care of you, okay?"

"I know," she said. "I need to sleep. Just hold me."

He shifted to a more comfortable position and gathered her in his arms. She turned her face toward him, and he kissed her softly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

The New Republic was dawning, as was a new day on Naboo. A new life was dawning for Lahira, as well.

Now fully recovered from her wounds, she bustled around her store, setting up for another day of business. The store, which was right next door to her father's restaurant, was called Cousins' Corner in memory of her deceased cousins, and sold clothing, toys, and specialty items.

At that moment, Lando hurried through the front door, followed by four delivery men wrestling with a repulsor sled loaded with boxes of merchandise. He unlocked the stock room and helped the men unload the order.

After the delivery men left, Lando took his place behind the counter with Lahira. They wrapped their arms around each other, glad to finally be unencumbered by the restrictions of war and the military.

Soon, it was time for the customers to arrive. Lando used his impeccable sense of style to help patrons find just the right outfit for special occasions, and Lahira helped children choose a new toy or a delicious piece of candy.

One old woman who had been looking around the store for quite some time stopped to look up at the wall where their honorable discharge plaques and Lahira's recognition for being wounded in action hung. The woman then continued her exploration of the store.

A few minutes later, the customer approached the counter with a couple of toys, clearly intended for her grandchildren. Lahira processed her purchases.

"This really is a very nice store, Mrs. Calrissian."

Lahira smiled. "Thank you. We do our best. We are still pretty new at this. I've never been anything but a soldier. My father helps us out a lot."

"Quite a hero, too, from what I saw on those plaques over there," the woman said.

Lahira shrugged. "I was wounded. I don't know if that's heroic or not. I mainly consider myself lucky. The only reason I'm alive is that my fighter didn't break up after I was hit. I have no idea why it didn't, other than that it was the will of the Force that I should live."

"It's so nice to hear people talk about the Force," the woman said. "After the fall of the Old Republic, no one could talk about the Force for fear of being killed on suspicion of being Jedi, or Jedi sympathizers. Tell me, are you Force-sensitive?"

"No," Lahira replied. "No one in my family is. But my mother taught my brother and me about the Force, and how important it is – or was – to the Jedi. It's important to all of us, really. Most of us just can't feel it."

"That's right," the old woman said. "I will return to patronize your store. Have a good day, and may the Force be with you."

After the customer left, Lando came over and slid his arm around Lahira's waist. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. They had a whole life ahead of them, a life that didn't include fighting the Empire.

Thrackan had been right. Now that the war was over, there really was a lot to live for.

*****************

Please read and review. Flames welcome.


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